Consistency is Key

As I look back on my 2021 goals, especially those I did not accomplish, I notice that one of my struggles is consistency. In fact, it may be my biggest struggle at this point. I am convinced that a lack of consistency hindered meeting some of my 2021 goals. This caused me to think about consistency in general.

Being a former Personal Trainer, I know that consistency is key for exercisers to meet their fitness goals. In fact, I would argue, especially with beginners and those returning to exercise, it is the single biggest factor. It is more important than how effective or efficient their workout is. Exercisers won’t meet their fitness goals from one great workout, or even five or six. It requires consistent exercise over time to see results. This principle is quite well known in the exercise world, even if it is not put into practice very effectively by many people (trainers included). But the same principle is true throughout many aspects of our lives. Changing something about yourself requires breaking old habits that contradict your goals and building new ones that work towards them. Habits, though, are notoriously hard to break, and good habits are often equally hard to build. So how do you do it? I believe consistency is the key, especially in the beginning.

What is consistency? Merriam-Webster lists the essential meaning of consistency as “the quality or fact of staying the same at different times.” The Cambridge Dictionary defines is as “the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way.” In the context of meeting our goals, consistency means doing something to work towards those goals on a regular basis, making it part of your routine and forming it into habit. To use personal finance as an example, this might mean setting aside a time every night to enter your expenses for that day in your budgeting app. It could mean establishing a budget before the beginning of every month. At first, you might not do these things very effectively or efficiently, but doing them regularly will make a bigger difference to your financial change than will doing them well. Over time, you will learn to do them more effectively and efficiently.

What are your goals for this year? What do you want to accomplish in your personal life? Your professional life? With your finances? Write these goals down. Figure out what you can do to work towards those goals, and start doing it consistently.